Let's start with the best seat at the 50-yard line. You enter at section 139 at MetLife Stadium, a monument to money, but not the imagination. It is an impeccable field, but rather sterile. And it took nearly an hour to enter Sunday because of tight security that included an Amtrak drug-sniffing dog. There are no defining characteristics to this stadium, but plenty of luxury suites.

Back to the 50-yard line. This view is terrific. Having it Sunday might require college tuition, but there are no blind spots. Each seat came with a Super Bowl XLVIII commemorative cushion. The zipper pouch included gloves, chapstick, hand warmers and a ski cap, protective gear for the first big game played outdoors in a cold-weather city. The weather, a story all week, was impeccable, mid-40s with little wind.

Fans provide the soundtrack, the passion. Super Bowls are odd in that way because so many hard-core supporters can't get tickets, leaving corporate seats filled with less-than-casual football fans. The enthusiasm was still unmistakable Sunday afternoon, praise-worthy for those drinking $14 Bud Lights and eating Liberty sausages.

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At 3:19 p.m., a group of fans from both teams began gathering at the Tostitos party zone. There was a cool fake fire, but without Pit Bull repeating his area code 55 times, the soiree lacked a little energy. The Game Play Experience had it by the fistful. Fans lined up to go through tires, push a tackling dummy and make a diving catch onto a high-jumper's cushion.

Leaping into a pit not your thing? How about banging your head? The early crowd was entertained by the "Rock of Ages" broadway cast. Nothing says Super Bowl like Quiet Riot and Poison.

The pregame crowd had a different vibe because there was no noticeable venom. The Broncos and Seahawks played forever in the AFC West, but the Raiders and Chiefs were always more rivalry games. A planted P.A. guy tried to get the crowd going with chants. They were loud. But civil.

The longest line was outside the NFL store. Fans emerged with bags of jerseys and caps. One fan, in particular, forced attention. He was wearing vertically-striped yellow-and-brown socks with a mustard Frank Tripucka jersey. He was No. 18 before No. 18.

At 5:40 p.m., 40 minutes before kickoff, both teams were on the field stretching and going through drills. Unlike in midtown Manhattan, where Seahawks' fans outnumbered Denver's, the stands were predominantly orange during warmups.Of course Seahawks coach Pete Carroll kept his typical routine, throwing and catching passes.

Hip-hop rocked the stadium as Manning stood on the 30-yard-line, going through his final practice reps. It was just football. And yet it wasn't.

"This is what we all dream about, playing in this game," quarterback Russell Wilson said earlier in the week. "We all know what this means."

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